10 from January
You know that feeling,
when you watch the Olympics and so and so is only 16 years old, just took gold, and you’re thinking to yourself, “damn, I didn’t just take gold…” And then you subtract 16 from your own age and things rapidly spin downward from there. (Looking at you, Winter Olympics! See you in February.)
This feeling of simultaneous inadequacy and ancientness – that’s how the January 2018 playlist makes me feel. Exhibit A, B, & C: Billie Eilish (16 years old!!), Sophie Rose (17 years old) and Chace (18). And while there’s certainly some youth in this playlist, we’ve also got the return of some very familiar names to the Jan 18 lineup: Miguel, Mumford & Sons, Sam Hunt, The xx and WALK THE MOON. Did you guys know Miguel hadn’t had a release since Wildheart? Gosh, I missed that guy.
January ’18 is expansive in its reach – starting with another Tove Styrke pop banger, passing by international folk with Mumford & Sons’ South African collaborations, taking a trip down south to a Sam Hunt country pop jam, stopping at hip hop with Roy Woods and the triumphant R&B return of Miguel, and even touching on The xx’s Alternative.
Below you’ll find a link to a select 10 songs from the January 2018 playlist. This 10-song list is intended to give you a taste of the full thing. Scroll to the bottom for a link to the full edition. Hope you like some of these!
Ten from January 2018
The xx | On Hold
The xx is back and better than ever with their new album, I See You. On Hold is a cleverly put together song with back and forth lyrics between the two leads, Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim. When you’ve got a male and female vocal, you just have to take advantage of it from time to time, competitive advantage you know.
On Hold samples an old Hall and Oates track in its post-chorus that I love. There’s also these searing, high pitched chords that wane the track in and out and sophisticated lyrics like these:
“My young heart chose to believe we were destined / young hearts all need love / call it a lesson / the stars and the charts and the cards make sense only when we want them to / when I lie awake staring into space / I see a different view”
Tove Styrke | Say My Name
“You say you ain’t the one to jump in a relation / and I don’t mind but when we touch it’s elevation / up, up, up, up”
Tove Styrke delivers yet again with this pop banger, making her second in a row appearance on theMonthlyJamm to kick off the new year. It’s similar to Mistakes from December ’17 in all the right ways with a solid beat and lyrics like this:
“I’m not in love but I’m loving the situation / up, up, up, up, up / if you’re down, don’t dare to stop”
Brilliant!
Miguel | Pineapple Skies
Miguel kicks this banger off by crooning:
“Are the trees high enough baby?”
The trees are always high enough with you, Miguel. The guitars, the snaps, the funky melodies playing high in the background, the lyrics luscious and full of “pineapple, purple skies” and Miguel’s sensual vocals – this song is like a sweet, sweet, pineapple snow cone on a beach in Cabo.
Houndmouth | Sedona
Thanks to Ryan for playing this as I drove to breakfast I think? I can’t remember. He told me he loved this song so much he actually ended up visiting Sedona, Arizona. After listening to Sedona – a smooth, indie jam with an upbeat rhythm and cute choral chunks and solid guitars throughout – I think I may do the same.
Anne Sila & Matt Simons | How Do I Know?
This is my favorite song from this month. Yes, it starts off in French. But give it a minute and it’ll get to some English that you Americans will understand. The lyrics are beautiful in both French and English (better in French, of course) and I’ve translated them below because they’re enough. No more analysis needed other than these lines:
Anne Sila:
“Les yeux baissés, le cœur illogique
Eyes lowered, heart illogical
Et tous ces mots que je ne te dis pas
And all these words that I’m not telling you
Tu es un coup de cœur, un coup de panique
you’re a heart-stopper, a stroke of panic
Si j’avais l’cran de te dire que c’est toi
If I had the guts to tell you that it’s you
Tu t’endors quelque part
You fall asleep somewhere
Tu t’endors sans savoir
You fall asleep without knowing
J’trouve pas les mots
I can’t find the words
J’trouve pas les mots
I can’t find the words
Pour tout te dire
To tell you everything
Sans les défauts
Without faltering
J’sais pas pourquoi
I don’t know why
Ça tombe à l’eau
It falls to pieces
J’fais que m’enfuir
I’m just escaping myself
Toujours trop tôt
Always too early
Je te veux toi mais j’ai pas les mots
I want you but I don’t have the words
Oh je te veux toi, que toi, j’ai pas les mots
I want you, only you, I don’t have the words“
Roy Woods | What Are You On?
So I’d never heard of Roy Woods before this month, but it looks like he’s got a bright future ahead of him. The 21-year old out of Ontario is signed to Drake’s record label, Ovo Sound and his song What Are You On? showcases both his rapping and production chops. My favorite lines from the song are easily:
“I worked for everything I got / You don’t know how to treat a boss”
Amy Shark | Adore
I adore Adore. It’s like the grown-up version of a teenage crush, super adult-angsty if you will. In it, our dear Amy Shark, details her time spent with this guy who just doesn’t get it.
“I’m just gonna stand with my bag hanging off my left arm
I’m just gonna walk home kicking stones at parked cars
But I had a great night ’cause you kept rubbing against my arm”
Sad Amy, a great night because of arm rubbing, damn. The chorus rolls in with some drums:
“Get me a drink I get drunk off one sip
Just so I can adore you”
And her bridge into the final chorus:
“Watch me, watch him talk to girls
I’m known as a right-hand slugger
Anybody else wanna touch my lover?”
I think we can all identify with the sentiments Amy sings about in Adore and that’s one of the reasons this is a great song.
Sam Hunt | Body Like a Back Road
Apparently everyone else has already heard this song. Well not me. It wasn’t until January 3rd, 2018 when I heard this song playing on a friend’s snapchat story that I was introduced to the greatness that is Body Like a Back Road. I have already been accused of falsifying dates of first listen with this song (aka the very filter which enables a song to make the list in a certain month) so let me just make it very clear that my first listen to this song was indeed in January of 2018!
Body Like a Back Road is such a satisfying country jam. The snaps, the kickbeat, and the short guitar chords make it addicting. Sam Hunt throws in a little bit of those “ay, ay, ay’s” in the chorus that we’re accustomed to in pop and rap songs for some cross-over flavor. His lyrics are fun:
“The way she fit in them blue jeans, she don’t need no belt / but I can turn ’em inside out, I don’t need no help”
But also really clever:
“Doing fifteen in a thirty, I ain’t in no hurry / I’ma take it slow, just as fast as I can”
I love his use of simile for his girl’s body and a back road. It’s simultaneously so country of him to value back roads over “them downtown streets” and so male of him to be into the curves.
“There ain’t no curves like hers on them downtown streets”
Love it.
Lauv | Paris in the Rain
Love Lauv. Paris in the Rain is a toned-down jam with really interesting instrumentation and plucked strings (cello, bass?) that carry the melody and jazzy drums that keep the whole track low and let Lauv’s vocals shine as he croons.
Noah Kahan | Passenger
Passenger’s a classic song you’d whistle to in the car. There’s a kickbeat that drives this entire song and keeps it upbeat, even as Noah delves into lyrics that go below the surface.
“I spend long nights, I question my self control”
I love Noah’s voice. It’s ironic this song is titled Passenger because he definitely has a little of Passenger, the artist, in his vocals. My favorite part for yelling in cars:
“Take me, my heart and my soul”